Evaporative iceless refrigerator



Mar. 13, 1923;

c. c. SWARTWOOD I EVAPORATIVE IGELE ss REFRIGERATOR Filed June '1, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 v amen Wot mm W 2/; achozwma 5 Mar. 13, 1923. 1,448,470 0. c. SWARTWOOD EVAPORATIVE I GELES S REFRI GERATOR Filed June 1, 1922 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

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EVAPORATIVE ICELESS REFRIGERATOR.

Application filed June 1, 195258. Serial No. 565,248.

T 0 all whom 272, may concern:

Be it known that I, OIIARLES C. Swam woon a citizen of the United States, residing at Centralia, in the county of Lewis and State of ll ashington have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Evaporative Iceless Refrigerators, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to iceless refrigerators ofv the character of that shown in my copcnding application, Serial Number 188,202 filed July 28, 1921, and in common with the structure shown in said application has for its object to provide an improved evaporative refrigerator which will be simple and economical in construction, will maintain the food receiving compartments thereof at a low temperature, without the use of ice,will be suitably ventilated to prevent undue humidity in the food receiving compartments and to prevent the odors of one food from contaminating another food and to prevent the odors from foods in the refrigerator finding their way into the room as in refrigerators which vent to the room in which the refrigerator is located and one which may be easily and quickly cleaned. It is a further object of the invention to provide a refrigerator of the character indicated adapted for direct connection to a service line of water supply and including means whereby the water level in the evaporative pan will be automatically maintained at a given point and wherein the water may be automatically cut off when the evaporative pan is to be removed for cleaning or other purposes.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved type of capillaceous elements adapted for use in conjunction with a refrigerator of this character and to provide an improved means of mounting such capillaceous elements so that they may be readily removed, replaced or renewed.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will beset forth in the detaileddescription which follows.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a refrigerator constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view therethrough;

Fig- 13 is a plan'view thereof;

nnit Fig. 4- is a horizontal sectional view upon line l& of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of a float controlled water supply valve hereinafter described;

Fig. 6 is a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal section of the valve illustrated in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a capillaceous element hereinai er described; and

F 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of capillaccous elements.

.Lilze numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the particular embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings 5 designates a rectangular boxlike casing having a fixed cover section Sand a hinged cover section 7 the cover section. 7 being'hinged at 8 to the top of the casing 5. A knob or handle 9 provides means for swinging the hinged cover section 7 upwardly. A vertically disposed partition 10 extends from the front to the rear wall of the casing 5 leaving a vertical air passage 11 along one side of the casing 5 which may be provided with a damper 11 The partition 10 terminates short of'the top of the casing so that air which passes upwardly through the passage 11 and which enters said passage at the lower end thereof may pass laterally and in the direction of the arrows a across the upper part of the casing below the top sections 6 and '7 thereof and out of a flue 12, said flue being carried by the fixed section 6 of the top. In use the flue 12 is connected to a chimney muchin the manner that a stove is connected to a chimney and the draft induced in said flue by its connection to the chimney creates a circulation of air upwardly through the passage 11 and across the top of the refrigerator and out of the line 12 as will be readily understood. This air in its passage is caused to travel past capillaceous elements 13. These elements may be of any desired number and may vary widely in shape and in method of construction. In the presentinstance I have shown them as consisting of elongated bands of cloth l lemounted .uponstrips of metal 15, these strips of metalbeing received between lugs 16 formedupon the ends of an: evaporativ pan 1?, said pan beingadapted to receive a supply of water andthelower portions of the capillaceous elements resting in said water. It ismanifest that by virtue of this arrangement the upper por-' .tions of the capillaceous elements will be continually vmaintained in, a. wet condition. and that byinducing a flow of airp'ast these wetted surfaces the temperature'ofthe water in" the pan will be lowered with a consequent lowering of the temperature'wit-hiir the ma ing and within the food compartmentsof the refrigerator, hereinafter described.

The capillaceous element illustrated in Fig. 7 consists of a straight sheet of metal -with a fabric covering thereon but I may,

if'desi-red; make these elements of zigzag formation, as illustrated in' Fig. 8 and 1n.

stead'of using a solid core of metal such as is indicated at 15, I may make this of screen-like or other: foraminous material, as indicated at 18"COV61lIlg' the same with a fabriccovering 14 .1 By using a screen-like core the air may'pass'through the fabric as 'wellas over; the same, if a fabric of sufliclently open mesh is used. Furthermore 1t is to be underst ood that the invention inchides within its purview the use of the screen: mesh, 18 without the fabric covering. 149, if desired. .The evaporative pan 17 rests directly upon the-top of an inner lining 19 constitutingithe walls of upper and. lower food compartments 20 and 21.

' These food compartments may be separated I from eachother by a partition 22 which may be of any desired material but 1 preferably make it of open Work formation so that ventilating-airtaken in through a ventilatin'g opening 23 at the bottom may pass freely through the food compartments to. a vent pipe 24;.which passes through and is soldered to the bottom of the pan 17.. The pipe 24 is designedly made of small diameter so that a very small circulation of air will be induced through the compartments 2) and 21. It is not desirable to maintain any considerable degree of circulation through this compartment because it ismanifest that the introduction of air at outside temperature, in any large quantity, would tend to raise the temperature within the food com- 'partments; Therefore, the degree of venti lation. permitted by my arrangement is 1 designedly kept smalhbeing merely sufficient to prevent undue humidity in the food com partments and to cause any odors in said compartments to'be carried oif through the ventilating pipe 24. and discharged into the J chimney through the pipe 12. It is to be noted that the pipe 24 is disposed im-- mediately below thejpipe12 and that the flow; of airifthroughthe pipe-12 tends to induce circulation from-vent opening 23 to and 'through, the pipe 24. In the present in stance Ihave illustrated separate doors 25 and26nforthe compartments-2O and 21. but

. it, mam-teary, makes no difference whether one or two doors or more are used. A body of insulating material 27 is disposed about the; lining19 constituting the Walls of the. food compartments. This insulating material may be of saw dust, cork,'- mineral wool orany other suitable material. Cer

tain methods-.of insulation are ell recog-' nized in the art; among them being the use ofthe materlals nentloned or the omission of said materials'leaving anair space, or the malntenance of avacuum-betweenathe spaced'wall and manifestly any of thesewell recognized methods of-i-nsulation he employed without the exercise. of more than mechanical skill and judicious'selection upon the part of the builder.

It is desirable in an article of this nature to provide means formaintaining the water l'evel at a given .point in the p an 17 and thiswithout any attention whatever upon the part of the user. To this end means,

this end a pipe'28 is provided with a flange 29" adapted to be bound against the inner wall of" the casing 5 by a nut 30 threaded upon the outer portion ojfthe pipe 28. This pipe is threaded at 31 for conn'ectiontoan ordinary service supply pipe ofwater. The

inner portion of-thep1pe 29 terminates in ahead 3O constituting a casingfor a valve pl u'g 31 This valve plug carries aneck e2;- tension 32 which terminates in a doWntur-ned end 33 having-a tapered valve seatfit'at. its lower end adapted to be closed by a needle valve 35. Thisneedle valve is formed upon is prevented from, dropping out gofxpla'ce' by a cagei-BS which is carried by. the neck extension '32; The bore; 3901?. the pipe 29 alines with'the port and bore 41 of the plug 31 and neck extension 32 when the partsare in the position illustrated in Figs. 1,1,5 and 6 -VVith the parts in this positionwat'er may'flow from the service line, and if the fioat 37 isin its lowered position will'pass out of the neck extension '32 and into the pan 1?. hen. the level of the Water in said pan reaches a predetermined height the float will be raised and the valve 35 will seat upon the seat- 84: thus cutting oii? the passage of any more waterinto saidpan until, by; evaporation -01? Water fromjsaid pan in the action of the refrigerator the Water level bec m wsufii ent r le tered to permit the, float to -drop unseat valve It will" be desirable- ,fro-m "time to time to remove'the pan 17 to thoroughly clean the: sa ine andto-remo vethe, capillaceousfele ments for a like purposepr to restpre thg fabric 14:, 1 :5. 0:? such-el m n s O to- 511 93 105; the stem 36 of a small float 87 and thisfioat tute new capillaceous elements for the old, if desired. When the pan is to be removed forthese or any other purposes, the neck'eX tension 32 may be swung upwardly and out of the path of the pan. The turning inovement thus imparted to the plug 31 will bring the port out of alinement with the bore of the pipe 39 and will thus automatically shut off the water during the time that the pan is removed. I

The pan may be removed by opening the hinged section 7 of the top. It will be HGCQS'. sary to tilt the right hand end of the pan slightly upward during the removal of the erator and is very easily kept clean.

While I have shown the invention embodied in an ordinary cabinet refrigerator it is to be understood that the principles may be embodied in built-in structures in homes, hotels, apartments, boats, trains, refrigera tor cars and the like. It is also susceptible of use as a cooling medium for stills, condensers or any other compartment to be chilled, the

compartments illustrated not being limited to use for the reception of food.

A very important feature of the present construction is that relating to ventilation of the food compartments 20 and 21. It is a well known fact that a dry cold preserves food much more efliciently than a wetcold. A damp or humid atmosphere tends to cause food to mold and in the case of bread, cake and the like tends to cause such food to become soggy and Worthless. Furthermore one food product is much more likely to absorb odors from another food product in a damp atmosphere than in a dry atmosphere. All of these considerations render it highly desirable to produce a chilled compartment which will be free from dampness and this is accomplished by inducing in the compartment a circulation of air in a limited quantity; just enough circulation to carry off any himidity but not enough to impair the lowering of the temperature to any appreciable extent. Further it is to be observed that this circulation of air is carried out in such manner that the air enters at one side of the compartment and is discharged at the other and that it enters at the bottom and is discharged from the top. Since the outside air is naturally warmer than the air within the chilled compartment it will be seen that the natural tendency of this air to rise is utilized in aiding the circulation. It will further be observed that the discharge of the air is at such a point that this air, carrying with it the odors from the food compartments, will Y be discharged into the flue 12 and into the chimney and it will never enter the roomin "vitreous 'materialorit may be of metal covered with enamel. In short it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in any respect with relation to the kind of materials employed.

Particular attention is directed to the eco- I nomical nature of the capillaceous elements employed. The metallic cores 14 and 14' are good conductors of heat and in addition they are very economical to manufacture. It is, of course, apparent that the fabric coverings maybe supplied at a "very small cost. 4 While I prefer to employ a float controlled valve in conjunction with a service supply pipe it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited in this respect because, if desired, I may employ the pan 17 without this water supply feature and if this pan be made of sufficient capacity it will hold enough water to last for a considerable length of.

time. without replenishing the same. However, it is, of course, desirable to provide-a structure which will not require any'attention whatever, if possible and to that end the float valve andwater supply connection are provided.

It is to be understood that the invention includes within its purview whatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim is:

'1. In combination a casing, a food compartment therein spaced from the casing of one side thereof to leave a vertically extending passageway which is open at the bottom to the entrance of atmospheric air, a flue leading from the top of the casing at the opposite side thereof, a removable evaporative pan above said food compartment and capillaceous elements in said pan extending in the direction of the flow of air from said passage to said flue. v I

2. A structure as recited. in claim 1 in combination with means to admit air of ventilation to the lower part of the food compartment and a ventilating pipe carried by the evaporative pan and communicating with the upper part of the food compartifpent and disposed in alinementwith said 3. A. structure as recited in claim 1 in combination with a source of water supply and a float controlled valve for the same for maintaining a constant level of water in the evaporative pan. I

fll I era-tire, pan, capillace ousielements! therein, a Water supply pipe, a neck eXtension-pi'vo-t-= ed to said water supply pipe,; a; cage-carried a by, said, jneckextensio'ma float; in said cage, a valve carried by said float; adaptcdtp ,COIZ-l-fi.

trol the flow of. Water througlnthenneck exp.

4. in; an evaporative retrigenaton an evap cratme 11) any capll-laceousi elementswseated 111" sa d pan. and-a ater supply; lDllJGrCOIIllDIlSn.

ing la lmovable "part carryinga float -val've rand asshut-lofl; v alve actuated by; the; moves inent of saidlmova-ble part;-

5. In a-nl eva porativerefrigerator v:an evaptension and a shut-off plug constituting a apart-f the-pivotal connectionbetween theneck extension-and"the Water supply-pipe 6.. incomb-l'nation a ca sing; ,aifixedtop sec tion, and a hinged top section :folvsaidaca s- 'ingy'a flue secured to and lead ng. fixed. top w sect/1011,: food compartments- 111-, the

r. casing an evaporative pan above the i'ood 'compartments:removable through the hinged top;s ,ecti01nv and 1capillaceouselements "in th e evaporative pan;

across the casing andlout vorfwsaid flue.

S.- ln combination a casing, food compart 3 Inents"thereingspaced: from; the wall of the l the-entry of ailIDOSPheFiGaiI,- Z2111@VELPOFHMVG" V panwupon. the top 'offsaid fo=0d\compart--1 ments, a fixed top-.sect-ion-tandhinged top fixed top casing,

casing at one side thereof to leave 'alver-ti'ca'l' passageway which "is open at the bottomfor sectionu it'or said'fcasing, a flue carried b-y the pipe.

omi the means for admitting ventilati ngair to "the lowerpart rof the food 1' compartments, a ventilating ipipe carried; byv the pan and disposed in alinernentxwith said flue and communicating-at its lower'vend With the upper part of :the food compare ment and capillaceouselements disposed [in said pan.-

9; A "structure asw-reclted in claim 8 in combination with a water supply ,pipe and means for maintaining a predetermined level of Water in thepan frownsaid-Waterwsupply 10. comprising aometallicicore in the-form ofa In combination, acapillaceous element fiat plate like material and a covering of fabric, which covers both sides of said core.

11. Incombina-tionan -evaporative pan: and aplurailty of capillace-ous elements each comprising a fiat core of metalianda cover-.

ing oi" :fabric iextending around both sides -;-tl'1ereo f and means 3 at "the ends of said; pan 1 for engaging said metallic cores to hold said '12. In an evaporative refrigerator, a casmg, a flue adaptedto be 'connectedto a chunney,- capillaceo-us ele'inentswin :-thecasing; :means for supplying Water; to 'said capil'ace 7 one eIements 'means'for admitting air to the casing at thatside of the: casing remote from vcapillaceo-us elements onedge in place in saidf ane e.

the flue, said .capillaceouselements being disposedin the path of-the air asit travels toward said flue, a food compartment and aventil'atinge means of restricted capacity for" :said food compartment ahgne'd w tli and discharginginto said flue under the influence ofthe draftinduced in: said flue;

signature.

In testimony whereo-feI hereunto" affiix my-i 

